Exercising advanced brand protections with Transparency
"With Transparency, every unit we ship is verified authentic. This has given us a great sense of security."
Tadakazu Yamada
CEO, Amaze Plus
Helping couch potatoes stick with the programme
Nobody buys an exercise bike, treadmill or other home gym equipment for it to gather dust in a closet or spare room. But, all too often, that is exactly what happens.
The Amaze Plus development team, which develops health and wellness products to delight customers primarily in Japan, was trying to figure out a good way to solve this issue. Then one day, after seeing the news about an increased demand for home exercise equipment due to COVID, an idea struck them.
“Let us make an exercise product that fits nicely into the customer's lifestyle as part of the interior furniture,” explains Tadakazu Yamada, CEO of Amaze Plus.
After half a year of brainstorming, research and trials, Tadakazu and the Amaze Plus team completed their first product, the Shape Cube, a trampoline that doubles as a piece of furniture. They gave their new brand the name gymterior and hit the market.
The Amaze Plus development team, which develops health and wellness products to delight customers primarily in Japan, was trying to figure out a good way to solve this issue. Then one day, after seeing the news about an increased demand for home exercise equipment due to COVID, an idea struck them.
“Let us make an exercise product that fits nicely into the customer's lifestyle as part of the interior furniture,” explains Tadakazu Yamada, CEO of Amaze Plus.
After half a year of brainstorming, research and trials, Tadakazu and the Amaze Plus team completed their first product, the Shape Cube, a trampoline that doubles as a piece of furniture. They gave their new brand the name gymterior and hit the market.
Jumping in with both feet
They launched the Shape Cube in early September 2020, in the midst of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. With most people stuck at home because of lockdowns, sales of home exercise equipment skyrocketed, and gymterior was ideally placed to meet the rising demand.
But while the timing and circumstances surrounding the product launch undoubtedly worked in gymterior's favour, Tadakazu credits much of the brand's initial success to another factor: the decision to sell on Amazon.
"Customers buy on Amazon because of how easy it is to find products there," he explains. "Plus, there is the speed of delivery, and high-quality customer service, which enhances the experience."
Their marketing efforts, particularly the media coverage they managed to obtain, also helped. "Every time the Shape Cube was picked up by a media outlet," Tadakazu continues, "we saw a spike in sales on Amazon."
But while the timing and circumstances surrounding the product launch undoubtedly worked in gymterior's favour, Tadakazu credits much of the brand's initial success to another factor: the decision to sell on Amazon.
"Customers buy on Amazon because of how easy it is to find products there," he explains. "Plus, there is the speed of delivery, and high-quality customer service, which enhances the experience."
Their marketing efforts, particularly the media coverage they managed to obtain, also helped. "Every time the Shape Cube was picked up by a media outlet," Tadakazu continues, "we saw a spike in sales on Amazon."
Keeping the brand fighting fit
Due to the sky-high demand and limited supply of home exercise equipment during COVID, the industry also experienced a spike in counterfeits.
"It worried me to think about how disappointed our customers would feel after purchasing something they thought was our product but which turned out to be counterfeit," he says. "I was also concerned that counterfeits would adversely affect our sales and prevent brand growth."
With that in mind, Tadakazu got to work enrolling gymterior in Brand Registry – Amazon’s flagship brand protection programme.
After providing Brand Registry with details about his brand and trademark, the programme’s automated protections now continuously monitor Amazon stores for suspicious listing updates and proactively remove them.
In addition to automated protections with Brand Registry, Tadakazu explains, "you get access to tools, like Report a Violation, that enable you to flag suspected trademark infringements so they can be removed."
Brand Registry also helped gymterior build a stronger connection with customers through features like A+ Content and Amazon Stores.
"It is possible to place videos as well as product photos on the Amazon storefront," Tadakazu says, "so we can really communicate the appeal of the brand."
"It worried me to think about how disappointed our customers would feel after purchasing something they thought was our product but which turned out to be counterfeit," he says. "I was also concerned that counterfeits would adversely affect our sales and prevent brand growth."
With that in mind, Tadakazu got to work enrolling gymterior in Brand Registry – Amazon’s flagship brand protection programme.
After providing Brand Registry with details about his brand and trademark, the programme’s automated protections now continuously monitor Amazon stores for suspicious listing updates and proactively remove them.
In addition to automated protections with Brand Registry, Tadakazu explains, "you get access to tools, like Report a Violation, that enable you to flag suspected trademark infringements so they can be removed."
Brand Registry also helped gymterior build a stronger connection with customers through features like A+ Content and Amazon Stores.
"It is possible to place videos as well as product photos on the Amazon storefront," Tadakazu says, "so we can really communicate the appeal of the brand."
LOCATION
Japan
INDUSTRY
Health and Wellness
AMAZON LAUNCH
2019
BRAND PROTECTION TOOLS
Amazon Brand Registry
Transparency
Transparency
Maxing out the gains
While Brand Registry proved extremely effective, Tadakazu and the Amaze Plus Team were determined to protect the gymterior brand as thoroughly as possible. When they heard about Transparency, they immediately decided to enrol.
Transparency proactively protects the brand and customers from counterfeits by using secure, unique codes to identify individual units. Whether fulfilled by Amazon or shipped directly by selling partners, products cannot be listed on Amazon or shipped without valid Transparency codes. Additionally, customers everywhere can scan them with the Transparency or Amazon Shopping apps to make sure they are authentic, regardless of where they purchase them.
Transparency proactively protects the brand and customers from counterfeits by using secure, unique codes to identify individual units. Whether fulfilled by Amazon or shipped directly by selling partners, products cannot be listed on Amazon or shipped without valid Transparency codes. Additionally, customers everywhere can scan them with the Transparency or Amazon Shopping apps to make sure they are authentic, regardless of where they purchase them.
Transparency has enabled us to take our brand protection efforts one step further. Because every unit has a unique code that Amazon verifies before shipping, customers are guaranteed that only authentic products will reach them.Tadakazu YamadaCEO, Amaze Plus
A golden future ahead
With millions of their flagship Shape Cube product sold so far, and a growing range of increasingly popular products, Tadakazu believes gymterior's prospects are looking very healthy.
And, he is convinced the brand would not be where it is today without Amazon's brand protection services.
And, he is convinced the brand would not be where it is today without Amazon's brand protection services.
"We want to build a brand that improves the everyday lives of our customers. Amazon helps us fulfil that mission by giving our customers the peace of mind that, when they buy a gymterior product, they can be sure they are getting an authentic one."
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